The Large Flying Eagle pattern cents of 1854 and 1855 are reasonably well-known in the numismatic community. However, few people are aware of how close the 1855 bronze Large Flyer (J-168) came to becoming reality. In December of 1856, Congress nearly authorized the circulation of a replacement for the copper Large Cent, rather than copper-nickel …
Author Archives: kayfamily1854
4-Leaf 1855s’ Alloys
In 1854 and 1855 U.S. Mint Melter & Refiner James Curtis Booth had an agenda — to convince Treasury Secretary James Guthrie to back the use of nickel in the coin that would replace the all-copper Large Cent. In 1853, Booth had advocated the use of German silver, which contained copper, nickel and zinc in …
James Curtis Booth and the LFE
HOME James Curtis Booth served as Melter & Refiner of the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia from 1849 until shortly before his death in 1888. It was in that capacity that Booth was the primary catalyst in Congress’ passing the Coinage Act of 1857, authorizing the production and circulation of the country’s Small Cent. In particular, …
Don’t Trust Attributions without Proof
HOME Even today, LFEs are slabbed by third party grading services (yes, that includes PCGS and NGC) without prior X-Ray or Scanning Electron Microscope testing having been performed on the coin in order to definitively establish whether this attribution is correct. Two major research studies have been conducted in which pre-testing LFE attributions were compared …
LFE Piedforts
LFEs struck on thick planchets (AKA piedforts) are known to exist. Though never mentioned in any of the Judd book’s first 10 editions or in Pollock, this coin’s existence was confirmed as early as April of 1863, in Bangs, Merwin & Co.’s Woodward sale. Auction lot number 2211 stated, “Flying Eagle Cent, pure copper, on …
Which is Which?
J-163 (pure copper) or J-164 (French bronze) These two patterns look nearly identical, right? Can you determine which tested out as 100% copper and which tested out as bronze? As a general rule, one cannot eyeball an LFE and accurately determine its composition. In the 1980s, Carmichael and Wilson studied 1854 pattern cents and similarly …
My Large Flying Eagle Research
HOME My research began in 2003, after a client had recruited me to locate, purchase and submit a specific variety of patterns for non-invasive metallic testing. Suffice it to say I caught the bug and decided to test 1854 and 1855 Large Flying Eagle cent patterns (LFEs). Why? Because it was a blast identifying the …